NALEDI AWARDS

Top plays come to the fore at the Naledis.

With one actress receiving a whopping five nominations for various roles, and the controversial play Foreplay picking up nine nominations, the 7th Naledi Theatre Awards is set to be filled with as much drama and intrigue as the productions it is celebrating. Taking place on March 7 2010 at the State Theatre Opera in Pretoria, these awards celebrate the cream of theatrical productions presented in Gauteng over the past year.

The event will be attended by South Africa’s premier theatre personalities, from the actors and singers to the essential behind-the-scenes creative and technical people who help make the on-stage magic happen – directors, choreographers, musical directors and set, costume, sound and lighting designers.

Leading the pack this year with nine nods is Mpumelelo Paul Grootboom’s racy adults-only play Foreplay, followed by the high-energy local production of Disney’s High School Musical with eight nominations, and comedy romp Travels with my Aunt – based on the Graham Greene novel and directed by Alan Swerdlow – with seven nominations.

Louise Saint-Claire is facing some stiff competition in two categories – from fellow actresses as well as from herself. She has two nominations in the category Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role – for God of Carnage and Pterodactyls – alongside Mary Twala (Sheila’s Day), Mwenya Kabwe (Yellow Man) and Quanita Adams (At Her Feet).

In addition, Saint-Claire has an astounding three nominations in the category Best Comedy Performance by a Female – for Glorious, God of Carnage and Pterodactyls. Here, she is up against Annabel Linder for Glorious, Marlee van der Merwe for High School Musical and Nthati Moshesh for MacBeki.

Other actors with multiple nominations include Saint-Claire’s husband Michael Richard – for God of Carnage and My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish and I’m in Therapy, and Robert Finlayson for Aspects of Love and Cats.

Bernard Jay’s 50th anniversary production of Lionel Bart’s cockney musical Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be picked up six nominations, as did Nicky Silver’s black comedy Pterodactyls directed by Greg Homann, and Janice Honeyman’s pantomime Pinocchio. John Kani’s revivals of The Lion and the Lamb and Nothing But the Truth fared well, featuring in various categories, as did Fred Khumalo’s Touch My Blood, directed by James Ngcobo.

The hotly contested Best New South African Play will go down to the wire between four plays staged at the Market Theatre: Brothers in Blood (produced by the Market Theatre, written by Mike van Graan and directed by Greg Homann), Foreplay (produced by the SA State Theatre, presented by the Market Theatre and directed by Mpumelelo Paul Grootboom), Thirst (produced and presented by the Market Theatre, written and directed by James Ngcobo) and Touch My Blood (produced by the Market Theatre, written by Fred Khumalo, and adapted and directed by James Ngcobo).

“We are particularly pleased to be bringing back the award for children’s theatre this year,” said Naledi’s executive director Dawn Lindberg. “The standard was so high last year that we couldn’t ignore the productions in this genre.” She said that the Naledis now featured 24 categories, including the Best Community Theatre category, and another new category, the Executive Director’s Award for an individual or company that has helped change and grow the theatre industry in South Africa through its extraordinary contribution. “Last year, this award was won by the Isango Portobello Theatre Company for opening the entire season of The Magic Flute to the public at no charge whatsoever, in order to encourage a brand new audience to come to the Market Theatre. They succeeded and are now opening the Fugard, a new theatre for lucky Capetonians,” said Lindberg.

“Most important of all are our sponsors, without whom we could not sustain the awards,” said Lindberg. “We have wonderful support from Nando’s, Chris Seabrooke of Sabvest, Wharfedale, Chauvet Lighting, Matrix Sound, the founder of Computicket, Percy Tucker, as well as support funding from the Gauteng Department of Arts and Culture.”

Valuable sponsorship in kind comes from the SA Gold Coin Exchange, which is sponsoring no fewer than 1000 Bronze Nelson Mandela medallions for every person attending the Awards Ceremony in honour of the 20 year Celebrations of the release of Madiba from jail. In addition, the State Theatre is donating its Opera venue with all its facilities, and Distell will ensure that a happy vibe prevails by providing excellent wines for the occasion.

Says Board member Welcome Msomi: “Once again with such diverse array of high quality and exciting productions this year, the Naledi Theatre Awards are definitely contributing towards the growth and recognition of great talent in South Africa. It is not only the task of the organisers to implement and promote the awards but it should be the sponsors; government and society as a whole to make sure that the Naledis survive. ”

The Naledi Theatre Awards ceremony takes place at the Pretoria State Theatre on March 7th at 17h00 for 18h30. Booking is at Computicket